Embodiments of the inventive concepts relate to an image sensor and, more particularly, to an image sensor that includes a dummy region that is between an active pixel region and a guard ring region, an image processing system including the same, and a portable electronic device including the same.
Image sensors are devices that convert an optical image into an electrical signal. Image sensors are used in digital cameras and other image processing devices. Both charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensors and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors are known in the art.
An image sensor includes an active pixel region (or an active pixel array) in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix. Each of the pixels includes a photoelectric conversion element which generates an electrical signal that changes as a function of the amount of incident light. The image sensor processes the electrical signal generated by the photoelectric conversion element to generate image data.
Each pixel in the active pixel region includes a plurality of transistors. To reduce crosstalk between the pixels, a deep trench isolation (DTI) may be formed. Transistors and DTIs in pixels formed at the edges of the active pixel region, unlike those in pixels formed in the middle of the active pixel region, may have lower uniformity, which may lead to a deterioration in the quality of the images generated by the image sensor.